On 3 October, the Eni Award 2022, ceremony was held at the Quirinale, attended by President Sergio Mattarella. The winners include Sinergy Flow, created by three Alumni and researchers, and Ricehouse, a startup by Alumna and architect Tiziana Monterisi, which received the the ‘Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship’ special mention..
The history of the Eni Award – as illustrated on the website – spans five continents and the careers of dozens of researchers and scientists. Since being established in 2007 as a business award, it has grown to become an internationally recognised accolade for research and technological innovation in energy. Year on year, the winning works involve significant breakthroughs that enable radical innovation in energy efficiency, renewables, decarbonisation and environmental protection.
Specifically, the ‘Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship’ award won by our Alumni rewards the growth of sustainable businesses through the “Human Knowledge” e “Energizer”schemes, which are devoted, respectively, to training a new generation of entrepreneurs and startup acceleration
“Imprese sostenibili; imprese che “camminano” nel presente ma capaci, fin d’ora, di disegnare le mappe, le strade del futuro.”
Sinergy Flow is an early-stage startup (TRL 4) based in Milan which proposes an innovative battery for medium- and large-scale stationary energy storage (we’ve already talked about it here). The flow battery uses sulphur-rich waste from the petrochemical industry, with low installation cost and high performance. The team is made up of 3 young engineers who developed the project at the Politecnico di Milano and was represented by Alessandra Accogli (CEO and co-founder), who spoke to La Repubblica:
"Sinergy Flow started with my PhD project: the idea for a device, a battery, able to store energy for a long time, which can be combined with renewable sources, easily met the market needs. [...] The large-scale adoption of our device will have a positive impact on well-being, ensuring a better quality of air, and therefore, of life."
Ricehouse is a much more mature startup (TRL 9), based in Milan, which transforms byproducts from rice processing into natural materials for green building and bio-architecture. Today it is a benefit corporation and boasts around 15 employees (aged between 24 and 44) and is represented by Tiziana Monterisi (CEO and co-founder).
"I am an ecological native - stated Monterisi at the MPW (Most Powerful Women) International Convention by Fortune Italia (we’ve already talked about it here), "and I have always sought sustainability in the world of construction. Thanks to our creativity, but above all professional expertise and courage, I have managed to make an impact in this poorly innovative and very traditional industry. It takes a lot of passion, but above all a lot of courage and perseverance."
